Johnny Ball

Infobox Celebrity
name = Johnny Ball


image_size = 173px
caption = Johnny Ball in 1998
birth_date = birth date and age|1938|05|23
birth_place = Bristol, England
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Presenter
salary =
networth =
spouse =
website =
footnotes =
children = 3

Johnny Ball (born May 23, 1938) is a British television personality, a great populariser of mathematics and the father of former BBC Radio 1 DJ, and TV host, Zoë Ball.

Early life

Originally from Bristol, he spent his primary years there and later in his childhood moved to Bolton, Lancashire where he attended Bolton Grammar School. He then did national service in the Royal Air Force, worked as a Redcoats (Butlins)
Butlin's Redcoat and was an entertainer in northern clubs and in cabaret.

Television and radio career

He was a regular fixture on children's television in the 1970s and 1980s, presenting several series of popular science and technology programmes intended for children (including "Think of a Number"; "Think Again"; "Think Backwards"; "Think...This Way" and "Johnny Ball Reveals All"). He was also one of the hosts of infant education programme "Play School". All of these shows (except the ITV programme "...Reveals All") appeared on the BBC. Ball's shows were renowned for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people.

In 2003, he appeared on "The Terry and Gaby Show" in which he answered viewers' questions, though he prefers radio interviews to TV appearances, of which he makes very few. In July, 2004 he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time.Fact|date=February 2007

eries guide

"'Think of a Number
*Pilot : 02 April 1977
*Series 1: 6 editions 12 April 1977 - 17 May 1977
*Series 2: 6 editions 12 September 1979 - 17 October 1979
*Series 3: 6 editions 10 September 1980 - 15 October 1980
*Series 4: 6 editions 15 September 1982 - 20 October 1982
*Series 5: 6 editions 04 January 1984 - 08 February 1984
*Series 6 : 6 editions 26 September 1984 - 31 October 1984

"'Think Again
*Series 1: 5 editions 09 January 1981 - 22 April 1981
*Series 2: 6 editions 08 January 1982 - 12 February 1982
*Series 3: 6 editions 07 January 1983 - 11 February 1983
*Series 4: 6 editions 13 September 1983 - 18 October 1983
*Series 5: 6 editions 10 September 1995 - 15 October 1985

"'Think!Backwards
*Five editions shown over one week 28 September 1981 - 02 October 1981

"'Think! This Way
*Five editions shown over one week 28 March 1983 - 01 April 1983

"'Knowhow
*Series 1: 6 editions 08 March 1988 - 12 April 1988
*Series 2: 6 editions 25 October 1988 - 29 November 1988
*Series 3: 6 editions 02 January 1990 - 06 February 1990 (Johnny Ball does not feature in series 3)

"'Johnny Ball Reveals All
*Series 1: 7 editions - 14 June 1989 - 26 July 1989
*Series 2: 6 editions - 03 August 1990 - 07 September 1990
*Series 3: 7 editions - 18 March 1992 - 29 April 1992
*Series 4: 7 editions - 07 May 1993 - 16 August 1993
*Series 5: 5 editions - 08 August 1994 - 01 September 1994

(Source: BBC)

Other activities

*Ball is in favour of nuclear power and has given many talks and speeches arguing for the development of nuclear power. [cite news
title = A climate of fear
work = Science & Technology
publisher = BBC Manchester
date = 2007-10-24
url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2007/10/24/241007_johnny_ball_feature.shtml
accessdate = 2007-12-27] [cite web
title = Johnny Ball Potted Biography
work = iTeach
month = November | year = 2006
url = http://www.iteach.ac.uk/About/News/JohnnyBallBio/tabid/67/Default.aspx
accessdate = 2007-12-27]

*In November 2006, he voiced his opposition to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, which would require any adult working with children to be vetted by the Criminal Records Bureau. In an interview with "The Sunday Times", he said: "It is like George Orwell's 1984... a quarter of adults will have to be checked... The fear we are instilling in [children] is abhorrent." [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2092-2437547.html "The 'toxic wall' around children"] - "The Sunday Times" interview, November 2006]

*He was Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1993 to 1996.

Bibliography

*
* (American edition of "Think of a Number")
*
*
*
* (different from the 2005 book of the same name).

References

tales of maths and legends (a show in the lowry manchester talking about mathematicians such as renne descartes and alkwharizmi)

External links

* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1092313/index.html Johnny Ball biography and credits at BFI Screenonline]
* [http://www.johnnyball.co.uk/ Johnny Ball Productions] —official site
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/4657113.stm Think of a number... think Johnny Ball]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2946452.stm Johnny Ball 'slates' children's TV]
* [http://nannycoach.wordpress.com/wwjd/ What Would Johnny Do?] - Johnny Ball the role model

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